I was recently listening to my "Charles Lloyd Radio" on Pandora and it played all stuff that I was digging on heavily - Kenny Garrett's album Pursuance, Lloyd's Hyperion for Higgins, Joshua Redman's Spirit of the Moment: Live at the Village Vanguard.
Then it played the title track from Lloyd's 1966 masterpiece, Forest Flower which was recorded live at the Monterey Jazz Festival with Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette, and Cecil McBee. Apparently it was one of the first jazz records to sell a million copies (that was before the days when platinum was common parlance). And its success helped Lloyd go on to tour with some of the biggest names of the psychedelic rock era such as the Grateful Dead. They were the first jazz group to play the Fillmore Theatre in San Francisco.
Now after years of collaborations with the drummer Billy Higgins (who passed away in 2001), Lloyd is collaborating with new musical partners in a trio where each player plays multiple roles. It combines the sufi vocals, percussion, and tablas of Zakir Hussain, the drums of the not-so-young-anymore Eric Harland (and piano too!), and Lloyd's mastery of all the instruments (from alto flute to tenor saxophone to piano).
Here are some videos up on YouTube that explain the birth of this new band:
Sangam Part 1:
My Trusted MOGs
Thanks for the old and the new tips. I spent a lot of the spring and summer going to steep to Jumping the Pond (putting it on to go to sleep, not by any means being bored to sleep), but wasn't familiar with the '66 release, nor the new band.
I'm especially excited to hear Forest Flower because I love the entire lineup. I like Keith Jarrett in the quartet mode (with Dewey Redman and Paul Motian) better than his solo stuff. Cecil McBee was my favorite Pharorah Sanders bassman, and you can never go wrong with Jack DeJohnette. I can't wait to get my hands on it.
My Trusted MOGs
the water is wide is such a beautiful, spiritual album, and hyperion w/ higgins, both on ECM, is almost as good- i'll have to check this new stuff out.
My Trusted MOGs
Well, I picked up Sangam after reading this. Very, very nice. Thanks for the tip.
My Trusted MOGs
art,
I appreciate it and Charles appreciates it too. But, I wish more people paid attention to my MOG posts than just you man. If you're out there and reading this, post something for Pete's sake.
Matt